Auckland has attracted a lot of famous and unconventional food outlets as of late. One of those outlets is Hokkaido Baked Cheese Tarts.
You’ll find it just opposite Aotea Square, nestled among a hive of churro, donburi and cookie stalls that are no wider than a metre. What sets Hokkaido apart from its neighbours? Firstly, it’s kitted out in cheerful yellow; the staff have the biggest smiles on the block and inside a large glass cabinet are the most beautiful tarts.
Urban List ran an article on these little discs of happiness not that long ago, warning Aucklanders to keep “your taste buds fuzzing”.
If you haven’t made it into the city to try these tarts yet, I would suggest you hurry on up.

For those of you who have never met me, let me give you some context. I am not a small woman. I mean that in the sense that I am tall (not excessively but definitely above average height) and I am round. While I have chubby arms and chubby thighs, it is my belly that offends people the most. It sticks out and wobbles when I walk. Sometimes it juts out at odd angles depending on how I position my body or what I’m wearing. In some outfits it makes me look like a mother-to-be. I know this because I have had questions about my due date from complete strangers in awkward situations.
I have had medical professionals shame me about my weight. I have had them suggest that a sore throat is somehow a symptom of obesity. There have been nurses who look at me strangely before asking me to remove my shoes when being weighed, as if this will make a sudden and miraculous difference of around 30kg.
In summary, I am fat.

I did a cheat’s guide to banoffee pie a little while ago and people loved it. I loved it. It was so easy to make and you can serve them at a moment’s notice. So I decided to do a couple of cheat’s guides to desserts that are super tasty and impressive but take little to no prep at all.
These pies are particularly good in summer for a dinner party because they don’t take long to cook and can be served with ice cream and loads of sauces. My husband ate his with no sauce. He pushed almost an entire half into his mouth and seems satisfied so I think the verdict was positive.
These pies can also be changed up a little bit with different fillings. You could pop some chocolate spread and banana inside or go for a savoury option like cranberry sauce and brie. The world is your oyster with these pies. They are so versatile and the best part is that you don’t need to mess around with pastry. After all, no one is going to complain about store bought pastry. And if they do? They don’t deserve dessert anyway.

Welcome to the new blog!
You’ll notice that PlanetBakeLife has disappeared and in it’s place is Adventure Thyme. You’ll find I’ve changed on all social media except Facebook due to their outdated rules. So if you see Adventure Thyme pop up in your feed, hi, hello, it’s me!
I decided that a change was in order and to suit the new theme and new name, I’ve made a recipe where thyme plays a big part in making this delicious. You see, herbs are fantastic when paired with fruit. It has to be the right fruit and herb combination but when it happens, it becomes magical. Summer fruits are particularly good with herbs like basil, thyme and parsley.
My favourite combination? Thyme and pear. It goes so well together and pears are my favourite fruit so I decided a beautiful tart was in order to celebrate a new blog and a new me.